The combustion of fossil fuels in activities such as the electricity generation, transportation, and manufacturing produces billions of tons of carbon dioxide annually. Research since the 1970s indicates increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may be responsible for altering the Earth's climate, changing the pH of the ocean, and other potentially damaging effects. Countries around the world, including the United States, are seeking ways to mitigate emissions of carbon dioxide.
One method of mitigating carbon dioxide emissions is to convert carbon dioxide into economically valuable materials such as fuels and industrial chemicals. If the carbon dioxide is converted using energy from renewable sources, it will be possible to both mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and to convert renewable energy into a chemical form that can be stored for later use. Electrochemical and photochemical pathways are likely mechanisms for carbon dioxide conversion.
Previous work in this field has many limitations, including the stability of systems used in the process, the efficiency of systems, the selectivity of the system or process for a desired chemical, the cost of materials used in systems/processes, the ability to effectively control the process, and the rate at which carbon dioxide is converted.